For Those About To Rot: Wednesday 13
at the Whisky A Go Go

October 24th 2013

Review and photos by Metalette

For Those About To Rot: Wednesday 13 at the Whisky A Go GoOctober 24th 2013

It was a real ghouls’ night out on October 24th, with a fright-filled bill of bands! If anyone wasn’t already in the spirit of Halloween, they certainly were after the show. (I was already feelin’ said spooky spirit, but to be fair, I’m a bit of a Halloween-junkie).

VESTAL SIN

Vestal Sin

The first band I saw was Vestal Sin, who had a dark rock’n’roll sound. The vocals were unusual but unique, as was the band’s stagewear. Their looks ranged from industrial to horror punk, complete with skull paint. They had a great reception from the audience; even as an early act, they had a good crowd assembled. Already by this point, I was noticing how many concert-goers were dressed up in full-on costumes, or at least heavy and meticulously-done facepaint. It was delightful!

Vestal Sin

Vestal Sin

The Rhythm Coffins

The Rhythm Coffins

After Vestal Sin’s set came The Rhythm Coffins. What a wonderful band, I must say. Not only did the singer sport some of the best whiteface I have ever seen, but they were also one of the most unique acts I’ve seen as well. The band consisted of a singer/guitarist, two female back-up vocalists, a bassist, and drummer, all wearing ghoulish makeup and clothing. This was a band fully committed to their look, and for that I majorly applaud them. Their music was light-hearted, campy, and plenty spooky. My favorite song was “The Headless Head Bop” in which the band threw hilariously-painted Styrofoam heads back and forth with the audience. It actually got pretty intense, with all these heads flying around, and the song itself was great fun. They finished their set with a cover of “Monster Mash” and wished us all a Happy Halloween. A shared sentiment around the room, I rather imagine.

The Rhythm Coffins

The Rhythm Coffins

The Rhythm Coffins

The Rhythm Coffins

Mortified Mortician

Mortified Mortician

The next band to play was Mortified Mortician. They had some really nice banners that they set up, which is always nice to see. The singer was quite the dynamic frontman. He was dressed in a furry coat (which he quickly tossed), an underbust corset, a short pleated black skirt, and fishnet tights. Fascinating. His persona and style reminded me of Marilyn Manson; professionally bizarre and quite interesting to watch. You could really see his passion for performing, and he very strongly lead the show. The only thing that freaked me out (and that’s kind of saying a lot, for me) was the fact that he scratched his own skin until he bled. I mean, talk about commitment to a performance, though. It was somewhat disturbing, but hey, I and probably everyone else in that room will never forget Mortified Mortician.

Mortified Mortician

Mortified Mortician

Mortified Mortician

Cold Blue Rebels

Cold Blue Rebels

Cold Blue Rebels

Cold Blue Rebels

Cold Blue Rebels

Cold Blue Rebels

Second-to-last was Cold Blue Rebels. Man, I love that band. I’ve seen them twice now (because of Wednesday 13) and they are fantastic. They’re a group of rockabilly zombies who know how to put on a show. Again, more of the excellent horror-makeup I’d been seeing all night. Everyone had blood, gashes, oozing wounds, and even a bullet-hole in the middle of the bassist’s forehead. Oh yeah, and the bassist plays an upright bass. It’s awesome; bright blue with a graveyard scene on it, with blue Christmas lights strung inside the body. I mean really. And he rocks that thing, as big as it is. The singer is so James Dean with a heavy zombie twist, and he plays the harmonica like a man possessed. Their show also featured some lovely zombie-lady dancers, and plenty of dismembered limb props. Each of the band members had their own story told as to how they became zombies, and all of their songs are horror-filled fun-fests, with an old-school feel. It was good to see Cold Blue Rebels again, and they so fittingly set the mood for Wednesday 13’s set.

Wednesday 13

By the end of Cold Blue Rebels’ performance, the Whisky was packed. And it was even a Thursday night! Most excellent. This was the last night of the “For Those About To Rot” tour, and was Wednesday 13’s last US show in 2013. So it was kind of a big deal. Also, Halloween. Wednesday 13. They go together hand-in-dismembered-hand. Ok so it wasn’t actually Halloween, but damn close enough.

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13

As usual (I’ve seen Wednesday quite a few times) the lights dimmed after a seemingly long set-up time. Then an eerie intro began and one by one the band members descended onto a fog-filled stage from the upper wings of the Whisky. It’s such an entrance; the crowd goes berserk every time. One thing you can count on from Wednesday is that every song he plays will be one of your favorite songs. Well, maybe I’m a tad biased, but most people in the room screamed with excitement at the beginning of every song. He has various intros and teasers to his most famous (or infamous) songs, and sometimes it takes you a moment to realize which one he’s hinting at. Other times, you know it immediately. While he changes his act from tour to tour and album to album, there are certain things that you can expect at a Wednesday 13 show. If he doesn’t whip out a plastic machine gun during “RAMBO”, make tasteless jokes, and tell the audience that he wants bad things to happen to them, it’s going to be a disappointment. But he never disappoints. These predictable elements are part of what makes his show so great – it’s almost akin to seeing the Rocky Horror Picture show, because the fans get to participate very heavily, and hell, they dress up about the same amount too. I don’t know if the same can be said for Rocky, but seeing Wednesday 13 gets better every time. This could have something to do with the fact that every new album he puts out makes his pool of songs to play that much more awesome. Or the fact that he changes his look every tour, keeping it fresh (yet corpse-like at the same time…) and always a spectacle. He knows what a performance is all about, and it does not hurt that his bandmates are excellent live as well. I’m now going to make a terrible joke (if you can even call it that) and say that his show is a total scream. But really; it is truly worth seeing.